When Ellen V. Glass and her husband, Philip, considered making a gift to Rush University Medical Center, one factor made their decision easy: Their firm belief in the skill and expertise of Ellen Glass' physician. Following generous gifts in 2008 and 2009, the Glasses recently decided to make a gift that would have an even greater impact on the spinal degeneration research of orthopaedic surgeon Howard An, MD.

"My husband and I wanted very much to support the good work being done at Rush and felt that Dr. An's work was the right place to make that investment," Glass said. "Dr. An's research holds great potential for enhancing the good work he's already doing. He's such an expert in his field and is committed to improving his patients' care, which is wonderful to have in a doctor. We're proud to support his efforts."

Glass came to Rush in 2006 with debilitating back pain. Spinal stenosis was compressing her nerves to the point that she could no longer stand, walk or lie down comfortably. Glass had seen at least six other physicians in Chicago and Los Angeles, but none of them inspired confidence in the proposed course of treatment.

After doing extensive research on her own, Glass turned to her brother-in-law — a renowned orthopedic surgeon in San Francisco — for his expert opinion. He unequivocally recommended An, who had performed successful spinal surgery on a friend of Glass'. Other physicians had told Glass to expect a 12-hour spine surgery with a lengthy recovery; An performed her surgery in just three and a half hours. Today, Glass' mobility is restored, and she's back to doing all the things she loves to do.

"I have had excellent results from my surgery. Beforehand, I never thought I would be able to play golf again; Dr. An assured me I would, and now I'm back to playing regularly," Glass said. "I am very impressed with Dr. An's professionalism, his command of the complexities of spinal surgery and his ongoing inquisitiveness and experimentation with new and better procedures to help heal his patients."

Ellen and Philip Glass are so satisfied with the results of the surgery that they often recommend Dr. An to friends and acquaintances living with back pain, and they've both begun seeing other physicians at Rush for their health care needs. What's more, they've generously supported An's ongoing research into the use of stem cell therapy as a promising option to reduce disc degeration, restore function and reduce back pain for patients like Glass who are diagnosed with degenerative disc disease.

"This gift from Mr. and Mrs. Glass will allow me and my research team to accelerate the pace of research on cell therapy for intervertebral disc degeneration," An said. "If biological treatment, such as cell therapy, becomes safe and effective, it can help many patients with intervertebral disc degeneration at a relatively early stage of the disease to shorten pain and suffering with this condition. Also, the treatment — involving cell injection into the disc space — will be much less invasive than traditional surgical procedures like spinal fusion."

Gifts from patients like Ellen and Philip Glass provide critical funding for physicians and researchers at Rush to engineer safer, more effective treatments for their patients. Gifts of all sizes and designations enable Rush to fulfill its mission of providing the highest-quality patient care, research, education and community outreach.

You can honor your physician and become a partner in the work of Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush through a charitable gift. To discuss an option that would be meaningful to you, please contact Mari Philipsborn in Rush's Office of Philanthropy at (312) 942-6567 or Mari_Philipsborn@Rush.edu. You may also make a gift online using our secure online giving form.